A veteran political campaigner has joined the federal Macleod by-election.
David Reimer, 66, will represent the Christian Heritage Party of Canada in his seventh election campaign.
Reimer isn’t deterred that he lost six previous elections in Alberta and Manitoba.
“We honestly, from our hearts, believe that we have a cause that is worth living for, worth fighting for, and actually even worth dying for,” Reimer said. “That’s how passionate I am about serving God and serving my country.”
“I love Canada, and I want Canada to be an even better place for my grandchildren than it is for me,” added Reimer, 66. “I’m passionate and I’m determined.”
Reimer joins Conservative John Barlow, Liberal Dustin Fuller, New Democrat Aileen Burke and the Green Party’s Larry Ashmore in the June 30 by-election.
The need for a by-election was created by the resignation of Conservative MP Ted Menzies.
Reimer became aware of the Christian Heritage Party after it held its founding convention in 1987 when he was working as an associate pastor in Wetaskiwin.
The following year he was the candidate in Wetaskiwin in the federal election — the first year the party fielded a candidate.
“Being a pastor I was intrigued and being politically interested I attended a meeting,” Reimer said. “I really liked what I heard.”
The Christian Heritage Party is based on Christian principles from the Bible.
Reimer liked that the party recognizes the preamble of the constitution that states Canada was founded on principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law.
The party also believes in the sanctity of human life from the point of conception until natural death, as well as the sanctity of traditional marriage and family.
“They stood for the same things that I stand for,” Reimer said. “I didn’t have to compromise my values of my beliefs in order to run for office or even support the party.”
Reimer had one of the best-ever showings for the Christian Heritage Party as he received 3,087 votes, finishing fifth out of six candidates.
Reimer subsequently ran in Winnipeg North-St. Paul in 1997, Portage-Lisgar in 2004 and 2006 and Provencher in 2008 and 2011, finishing fifth every time.
Reimer, who has been married 45 years and has three married children and four grandchildren, took a leave of absence from Shalom Family Worship Centre in Steinbach to campaign.
Reimer is interim party leader and went to Ontario last week to help candidates prepare for a by-election in Trinity-Spadina.
Although he lives in Steinbach, Reimer will live full-time in the Macleod riding until the by-election on June 30.
“It is about getting our message out and providing the voters of Macleod an opportunity to vote according to their conscience,” Reimer said. “The beauty of democracy is we have the freedom to vote for the party that best represents our values.”
“I’m going to put myself and our party and our platform in front of people as a choice.”
Information about the Christian Heritage Party is at www.chp.ca.
“We know it’s an uphill battle, but we’re in it because we believe it,” Reimer said. “This is our passion. We’re not afraid of the outcome.”
“The reality is I feel that I still win regardless of the outcome of the election,” Reimer said. “Because we believe that our cause is justified, that our cause is the right cause, we believe our candidates win even if we don’t get elected, If we get our message out to the people we’ve done our job.”

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